A Book

Today, we started with devotions and a huge breakfast (which is my favorite meal, so I’m glad it’s big, haha). After gathering our supplies, we walked up a few flights of stairs to a school that is actually in the hotel grounds, where we held a VBS for 40 minutes or so. Beginning with the dramas, we made crafts and taught colors, played a Bible verse game, and colored with crayons as vibrant as their personalities.

As VBS was going on, Kira slipped in. I noticed her right away as our translator from last summer and afterwards, reminded her of that trip. She asked about school and life and plans for the future, all in Spanish, which I loved. After telling her that my hope is to major in missions, especially in a Spanish speaking country, she now refuses to talk to me in English, so that I can practice my Spanish.

After VBS, we put our supplies away, changed into yesterday’s dirty work clothes, and then headed to our construction sites. We stayed at the same sites because some people, especially me, had made relationship progress and/or process knowledge that would be best to be continued at least another day. Soon at the home, we put up columnas (columns) and wire stuff to hold them in. They would be the support for the walls, and after mixing cement, we made a firm foundation to lay the blocas (blocks). The first row of blocks had to be layed by the mason, Mario, and so we just helped a little with that, watching mostly though. This may sound easy-what we did and all, but I didn’t tell you what we muled around. We had bags full of dirt, weighing about 150 lbs, to move from the trench digging, numbering in about 100 over the last two days; bags of piedras (rocks) to move (they were to mix into the cement to make it stronger), numbering around 30; bags of cement, numbering around 12; bags of sand to mix in with the cement and rocks, numbering around 30; and 200 blocas (blocks) for the walls. Mind you, I’m not good with estimating numbers, and we had to put the supplies in one area and then move them again once needed because we had to get the off the various trucks but didn’t have much room near the house area to put tons of supplies.

Today was another successful day as a translator for our group but also as a coworker with the guys. The Guatemalan workers knew what I was capable of doing, and let me do what a woman normally wouldn’t do and even some American men. Also, Ryan and I, in addition to a few of my team members who could muster out a little Spanish, we grew relationships, talking about stuff that’s more than Spanish class book material. Near the middle, we arranged to have a game- we, our youth group team, would play the workers in soccer tomorrow night after a little break after work. It’s exciting to see that they invite us to see them outside of work, to see them in a different aspect of their lives, to see that they know us enough to ask.

Day 2 of building the house ended as cement that was hand mixed was poured, the columnas (columns) were perfect, and the blocas (blocks) had been partially put in place. Walking into the hotel grounds, I could see the 3 little girls sitting at their spot next to the fountain, with a sister of one of the girls. They had returned to swim, and after my dad got his suit on, the four of them went in. A fifth joined, being the sister of two of the girls but not the two others, and my dad splashed and played and taught them how to swim.

Dinner, devotions, … oh wait. It wasn’t a normal night; we had a surprise baby shower for Josh and Leigh before devotions, which went beautifully. Hannah Harris planned everything- from punch to cake to gifts to cookies to a diaper game. We prayed over them at the end, anointing them to be wise and godly parents and for the child to grow in God’s love everyday.

Now I can say that we had devotions, haha. After searching God’s word and hearing Josh and Leigh’s story, we headed to our rooms, where I now sit after typing for almost an hour. I thought I wouldn’t write a book but I see that, yeah, it pretty much is. Enjoy it! Haha. I’m excited to see how God is going to continue to speak and how miracles are going to continue to happen.